Quandary
Tina's Blog February 20th, 2008We are in a bit of a quandary in our house, and I'd like friends/family to weigh in. Will is 4 1/2, and will turn 5 mid-August. The school system we live in allows kids to go to Kindergarten if they turn 5 before Sept. 1st. So he could go next year. I had been confused because the STATE says you have to be 5 before Aug. 1st, but the school systems in the area have set Sept. 1st as the cut-off.
I talked with Will's preschool teacher today. She said socially and emotionally, Will is ready. We keep trying to decide if it'd be better to send him (so he could have some challenges, not be bored so he wouldn't be a trouble maker in the future, plus, all his friends at church are going next year so he'd be in the same level with them) or wait a year and send him when he's six. So many people say it's best to wait. Then he'd be an older one in his class, more of a leader probably, he'd be the first of his friends to drive, not the last, he'd be 18 going to college, not 17. But he'd like to go next year. So, those of you who know him, what do you think?
February 24th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Well, I don’t know him, but I thought I’d weigh in with a comment anyway! He’s a firstborn, and if his teacher thinks he’s ready, I’d say go for it. From observation within our own family (including myself and Ted, not just our own firstborn) as well as with firstborn friends, I’d say go for the challenge.
I do understand the “boy” dilemma. We have that with Arden, who is our third. He will be 5 in October. Since we are home schooling him, the AWANA director asked if we were going to put him in Kindergarten Sparks since we had done that with Charis. (Cubbies were full when we moved here and tried to register her, and since I was home schooling her as a kindergartner that year anyway, it worked well.) Emotionally, I’m not so sure Arden is going to be ready to graduate Cubbies after only one year and be called a kindergartner. If we followed the school system, he wouldn’t be a kindergartner until the following year.
It is a dilemma!! Our first son, Tobin, was born in April and is extremely bright for his age, so we have no problems there. I’ll pray for wisdom for you and me both!